The Macklin Celebrini, Matvei Michkov and Cutter Gauthier of the world have now graduated to the NHL, but there are still many talented young players who are still not in the best hockey league in the world.
Montreal Canadiens fans will certainly be pleased with the latest ranking of the best non-NHL prospects according to ESPN since the young sensation Ivan Demidov sits at the top of the list.
“He is an elite talent which gives him the highest probability of becoming a star in the NHL. There is a good chance that he will become an elite offensive player and score more than a point per game in the NHL for a decade,” explains Rachel Doerrie in her text.
“He’s the most talented player outside of the NHL, there’s no doubt. »
Prospect David Reinbacher is also in the top 50 and ranks 27th on the list. He is the 13th best prospect among defensemen according to this list.
“Reinbacher would be higher on the list if it weren’t for questions about his development being slowed by several circumstances, including injuries. Reinbacher would become a mid-pair player, capable of playing in all situations. »
The list excludes rookies expected to play full-time in the NHL this season and only considers players who are already on an NHL team.
Thus, prospects like James Hagens, Porter Martone or even Gavin McKenna (2026 draft) were not eligible for the exercise.
Four of the top five players on this list were drafted in 2024, while Yaroslav Askarov is the highest-ranked goalie at sixth on the list.
Artyom Levshunov (2), Alexander Nikishin (3), Zayne Parekh (4) and Zeev Buium complete the top-5.
